This news has gone international. What a sad situation for our country when we tell foreigners they are not welcome even when they are trying to help us solve a problem.

The system allows them to double dip. I was on sick leave at one time and my employer paid my salary with the agreement that what I received from NIB I would pay back to my employer. Obviously the government employers were not doing this and allowing the employees to double dip.
It's a silly system anyway. It would make more sense if the employer would just pay the person who is off sick the portion of his/her salary not being paid by NIB.

Don't forget how much money Leslie Miller owes in unpaid electricity bills. He can't accuse the workers of causing BEC's financial problems when he owes so much to BEC.

Why is The Tribune reporting on a fashion designer giving the country advice about stem cell research policy? This is a ludicrous "news" story. Please don't insult the intelligence of your readers.

There are white dead beat dads here in The Bahamas too.

KimAra, If there was an immediate ban, the needs of the retired surrey horses should be met by the government, not The Humane Society. However, that is going to take a lot of convincing as we don't have a government/society who generally cares about animals. As banker pointed out, the government need to realize that this abuse gives The Bahamas a bad name as a tourist destination (as comments on the petition indicated). That is all they will care about since tourism affects us economically.

I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately I don't think we have a government that is either responsible or humane enough to take the lead in this. The suffering of the surrey horses is just the tip of iceberg of the suffering of animals in general in The Bahamas. We have an enormous problem with stray cats and dogs who are starving and diseased. The lucky ones end up at The Humane Society, which is bursting at the seams with animals, while people pay for breed animals; macho dogs like pit bulls and German shepherds or cutesey, small, fluffy dogs which they breed for money and then leave at The Humane Society when they have finished breeding them. BHS and volunteer organizations like BAARK and Operation Potcake are working hard and nonstop but the problem is huge and ever increasing.

They divorced us through independence? Didn't we "divorce" them? Didn't we request independence?

Regarding point 3; check your history - there were black slave owners as well. Add a point 15. Africans sold Africans into the slave trade - are we going after Africa as well for reparations?

Philosopher_King, you have elaborated on the point I made. I agree completely that education is needed to eliminate these destructive attitudes. Unfortunately, I don't believe any money received would be allocated to this end because people don't recognize this self-hatred. They turn it outward against the white Bahamian or white foreigner and accuse them of being racist when in actual fact it is within themselves.